


Breaths Mingling in the Crisp Air

by orphan_account



Series: Perpetually Pining Over Betty Cooper [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 06:59:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14373384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jughead gives Archie advice on his upcoming date. Betty struggles to sort out her feelings, while Jughead finally realizes his. Things pick up in this chapter!





	Breaths Mingling in the Crisp Air

“You had to of cheated!” Jughead cried, dropping his controler to the ground, “There’s absolutely no way anyone could be that good at Mario Kart.”

“It’s all in your head Jug, I’m just a seasoned player, that’s all.” Archie laughed, picking up his guitar. He began to strum a simple melody, his fingers finding the right notes easily. Jughead wished he could have such ease when it came to playing instruments. For him, he had to spend hours pouring over the sheet music to even make a replica of the song he was supposed to play, and even then his notes sounded robotic. So in seventh grade he finally decided it was time to call it quits, and dropped out of band. He silently realized Archie was everything Jughead had tried to be as a kid. A football player, a musician. Jughead even considered dying his hair red once- just to feel that much more like his best friend. Now, Jughead knew, that would have been disastrous, but as an insecure pre-teen, changing his appearence seemed like the only way to gain approval from his peers. He wondered if he’d always feel lacking when he stood next to Archie, he hoped something would change that soon. 

“Right, because I totally didn’t see you looking up cheats earlier.” Jughead grinned, pushing his envious thoughts to the back of his mind. His smile quickly vanished as he looked behind Archie through his window, his eyes meeting with a certain blonde. Betty quickly turned away, pretending to be occupied with a loose string on her sweater. Jughead did the same, examining the label of his water bottle, which seemed to be the most exciting thing in the world at the moment. In his mind though, he thought about how Betty looked oddly troubled. He made a mental note to ask her about it at lunch tomorrow.

Hey Jug, I need a favor.” Archie leaned over, taking the water from Jughead and placing it on his nightstand, “It’s kind of important.”

Jughead’s eyebrows peaked in interest, “Whatever do you need?”

“Well,” Archie started, rubbing his neck, “I need the drive in, just for a night.”

“That’s it? There’s a showing of Casablanca this Saturday night. Starts at eight.”

“No, I need to rent it, or something. No one else needs to be there.” Archie struggled to get his idea out, “For a… a date.” Jughead didn’t know why this was so hard for Archie to explain. He had seen his best friend take plenty of girls out. In fact, Jughead had seen his friend woo so many girls that he knew exactly how Archie planned each date to go; Archie would show up to her house with flowers, take her to either Pop’s or a movie at the Bijou, and drop her off back at home, kissing her at the door. All of the girls Jughead had witnessed responded positively to Archie’s dating algorithm, sometimes even giving the redhead more than just a kiss. But none of these dates, not one, had gotten Archie so flustered. Jughead knew that this girl meant more to Archie than just a simple milkshake at Pop’s, but why? Who could it possibly be? After his summer-long fling with Val, Archie didn’t seem to show any interest in another girl, but maybe it had gone over his head.

“So uh, what do you think?” Archie smiled sheepishly, “How much will it cost for one night?”

“Arch, of course you don’t have to pay, you’re my best friend. I’m just glad you finally asked for a favor that I could actually give you.” Jughead laughed, “You can bring her over to the movie on Sunday, there are no showings that day anyway, I’ll get you two in.”

 

“You’re the best, man.” Archie brought Jughead into a hug that turned awkward fast. The two boys untangled themselves, making a silent agreement to never try that again.

“So, who’s the lucky lady?” Jughead asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Archie took a deep breath, “Betty, actually.”

Jughead’s jaw dropped to the floor, “Betty? Betty as in Betty Cooper, the Girl Next Door, Betty Cooper?” He was utterly baffled. Archie had never shown any interest in Betty. In fact Jughead assumed Archie was going after Veronica, seeing as he gravitated towards her type- stubborn and-not to sound crude- hot. But why Betty? Jughead answered that question for himself. Betty was beyond words. She transcended the word perfection. The beauty, the intelligence, the personality- she had it all. Betty always defended the misunderstood, standing up for countless girls like Ethel Muggs, and even writing an article for the school newspaper addressing the unjust prejudice against the Southside Serpents. And she did this all with a bright smile, tightening her blond ponytail as she went. Jughead couldn’t seem to look away when she was near. It was naive of him to think that Archie didn’t take his eyes off her either. 

“I thought I liked Veronica for a long time, but after Val, I just don’t know if I can handle her.” Archie elaborated, “Veronica’s just so... out there, and Betty’s--”

“Gentle? Laid back?” Jughead supplied, immediately regretting it.

“Ha, did your writer instincts kick in?” Archie joked, poking Jughead in the stomach, “But yeah, Betty is just what I need right now, someone steady. I need a rock.”

Jughead leaned back onto the bed, mulling over this new information. He wondered if Archie was just using Betty as an anchor after Val. He wondered if Archie even liked Betty. He hoped he did, since Betty was sure to say yes whenever Archie asks her out. Jughead wanted nothing more than Betty to be happy, and Archie seemed like a great way to make her smile. But he still felt a strange pull at his heart as he thought about Archie holding Betty close.

“Anyway,” Jughead cleared his throat, “What movie were you thinking?”

“Definitely The Terminator. Who doesn’t like that movie?” Archie grinned.

“I know for a fact Betty hates that movie- ‘too much gore’ she says.” Jughead frowned, thinking of the countless movies he knew Betty adored, “Maybe Rebel Without a Cause? She loves that one.”

“Nonsense! Who doesn’t love Terminator?.”

“Alright then, Archie. Whatever you say.”

~~~

Betty was a nervous wreck. Her lifelong crush, Archie Andrews, had finally asked her out. She almost choked on the sandwich she was chewing on when Archie had asked her out at lunch on Friday. She had obviously given him an enthusiastic yes accompanied by a happy grin. The only thing that was able to wipe her smile off her face was the way Jughead looked defeated at her response. She felt a pit form at the bottom of her stomach. Could Jughead like her? No, she thought, that couldn’t be possible. Betty and him were different, like night and day. Their paths only crossed because of their connection to Archie. And it didn’t matter whether of not Jughead had feelings for her, she liked Archie. She liked Archie’s flaming red hair, she loved his boyish grin. She did not like Jughead’s witty jokes, nor did she appreciate how he never pressured her to speak out in their group unlike Veronica and Archie. Jughead, in her mind, was just like any boy in Riverdale.

“Betty?” Alice Cooper called to her daughter as she trudged up the stairs of their All American Home, “Betty, what are you doing?”

The blonde quickly shoved the red lipstick she was considering wearing back into the drawer of her dresser, “Nothing! Just getting ready to go over to… Ethel’s.”

“Not Veronica’s? You never go to Ethel’s.” Alice said, a touch of suspicion in her voice, “Are you sure that’s where you’re going Elizabeth?”

“Of course Mother.” Betty bit her lip, sinking even further into her lie, “Veronica is coming too. A girl’s night.”

“Well, you’ve never given me much of a reason to doubt you, but if I find out that you’ve lied, you won’t leave this room until you’re 18. And I mean that.” Alice closed the door slowly, taking one more suspicious glance at her daughter.

Betty let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She got up from her bed, finally picking out a soft white sweater and her favorite button up denim skirt. She decided to let her hair flow freely, hoping she didn’t look like she was trying too hard. At the door, she slipped on a pair of suede brown knee-high brown boots. She felt a little more confident in her outfit as she slipped outside into the crisp, fall air, seeing Archie sitting on his doorstep next door, shrugging on his trademark Varsity jacket. She couldn’t believe she was finally going out with the boy of her dreams. She couldn’t figure out, though, why she couldn’t quite meet his eyes. Betty knew that she should be ready to jump over the moon in excitement. Why did she feel guilty?

He looked over at Betty as she walked over to him, his eyes raking over her body, “You ready to go?”

“Yep!” Betty tried to smile in what she hoped look lovingly as she took his arm.

~~~

 

Jughead settled in his fold up chair as the opening credits of The Terminator began to play. He wasn’t focused on the movie, though. All he could stare at was Betty and Archie, looking like the high school sweethearts they were always meant to be. He paid special attention to Betty’s new look. Her golden hair flowed freely down her shoulders, with a skirt just a tad shorter than what she normally wore. He suddenly wished it was him who was sitting in Archie’s place.

“Fuck,” Jughead breathed, a light switching on in his brain. He thought of all the butterflies that erupted in his chest when she was near, or how he longed to be more like Archie, not for himself, but for her. It all came together in one swift moment, and Jughead knew that he would never be the same, “Shit, I’m in love with her.”

Jughead closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, digging his palms into his eyes. He had no idea what to do now that he had realized the truth about him and Betty Cooper. He had always known that Betty was special, but he never expected to fall in love with the girl. She was just an acquaintance, a girl he said hello to as he passed her in the hall. But now, all he could think of were her long legs, or her plump lips. Especially her wide, green eyes. Which- as Jughead just noticed, looking over at Archie’s truck- were currently filling with tears as she ran away from the red head. Jughead immediately rushed out of his “office,” making his way over to the deserted concession stand where Betty was running to.

When Jughead arrived at the dingy stand, he found Betty kneeled behind the counter, her knuckles white from the tight fists she had balled up, “Betts, what happened?” His eyes narrowed, “Did Archie try something with you?”

Betty wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, taking a tissue Jughead handed her, “No, of course not Juggie. Archie is… perfect.” she smiled, trying to reassure him, “It’s me who’s the problem. I’m okay, really.”

“You were just running away from your dream guy in tears less than five minutes ago.” Jughead frowned, “And you’re hiding from him in a dirty hotdog stand. What’s going on?”

“Well, everything was great at first. I mean, the movie was an iffy choice.” Betty chuckled, already assuming Jughead had opposed Archie’s idea to play a gory action movie, “But besides that, Archie was doing everything right. He held my hand, offered me his jacket, all the right moves.”

Jughead cringed at how gentlemanly Archie was. Part of him was hoping he’d be a disastrous date, “Then what’s the problem?”

“I… I don’t feel anything.” Betty began to cry again, “Archie is all I’ve ever wanted since the second grade and now that I finally get a chance with him, something’s holding me back.”

Jughead looked apologetically at the blonde. He wished he could take her pain from her, make it his own. He didn’t want to see tears in those beautiful eyes, or red marks on her soft hands. She didn’t deserve this. He took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over her palms. Betty stiffened, but eventually relaxed, leaning into Jughead. Testing the waters, Jughead placed a short kiss to her palms, before turning to look at her.

“Betty… I-” Jughead began, but he lost his train of thought as he looked into her endless emerald eyes.

“Juggie” Betty whispered, glancing down at his lips. She bit her lip, sending Jughead over the edge. He slowly leaned in, hoping Betty wouldn’t push him away. He was curious whether Betty’s lips were as soft as they looked, or as sweet as he imagined them to be.

But before Jughead could seal the deal, they heard the heavy footsteps of Archie on the gravel outside, “Betty? Jughead?” He called.

Betty sprung away from Jughead, wiping her eyes one last time, “Over here!” Betty smiled sadly, sending Jughead one last glance as she got up and walked towards Archie, shoving her hands in the pockets of Archie’s Varsity jacket. Jughead exhaled heavily as he leaned against the cold walls of the concession stand. He was naive to think the universe would let him have this one good thing. He watched as his breath come out in puffs, the warmth mixing with the cold fall air.

**Author's Note:**

> Oof! I actually wrote another chapter! I know it doesn't seem like much, but I've got a lot of stress in my day to day life right now, so getting this done in a week or so means a lot to me. I was planning on writing a little more this chapter, but I felt like the it naturally ended where it did, so I decided to quit while I was ahead :P Follow me on my Tumblr- sammysays23- I reblog my favorite Riverdale fics and post updates to my own. Comments are HUGELY appreciated, they make my day! Bye for now!


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